Guard for powder actuated tool



Sept. 25, 1962 w. BELL 3,055,007

GUARD FOR POWDER ACTUATED TOOL Filed April 28, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Ill! 1 ii 6 INVENTOR.

his ATTORNEYS Sept. 25, 1962 L. w. BELL 3,055,007

I GUARD FOR POWDER ACTUATED TOOL Filed April 28, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTO LEWIS WALTER B L gwfzjl/am/gzwwipm ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,055,007 GUARD FOR POWDER ACTUATED TOOL Lewis Walter Bell, RR. 2, Box 222G, Monroe, N.Y. Filed Apr. 28, 1961, Ser. No. 106,358 13 Claims. ((31. 1-44.5)

This invention relates to guards for powder actuated tools and, more particularly, to a new and improved type of guard adapted to permit use of the tool adjacent to a wall or corner or within a confined area.

Various provisions of law and normal safety precautions require that the muzzle of a powder actuated tool for driving studs, bolts, and the like into masonry or other fracturable materials be surrounded by a shield or guard to confine masonry fragments. In ordinary circumstances, the guard should cover a relatively large surface area about the point of impact of the stud, but when a stud is to be driven into a surface adjacent to a wall or a corner, the guard must permit the tool muzzle to be placed close to the wall or corner. Moreover, in many instances the surface into which a stud is to be driven has an accessible area which is less than the full area of the guard or is otherwise obstructed, so that a conventional guard can not be placed against it.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved guard for a powder actuated tool which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of conventional guards.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard for a powder actuated tool adapted to be used on surfaces of small accessible area.

A further object of the invention is to provide a guard of the above character arranged to permit the tool to be used closer to walls or corners than conventional guards.

These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a central guard member of rectangular shape having an oil-center aperture adapted to receive the muzzle end of the barrel of a powder actuated tool and an outer guard member arranged to be separably attached to any of at least two of the sides of the central guard member. Preferably, the outer guard member is L-shaped so that it abuts two adjacent sides of the guard member whenever it is attached thereto. Also, if desired, in order to prevent loss of the outer guard member, it may be connected to the central guard member or to the tool by an articulated link such as a chain. As an alternative, the articulated link may be arranged so that the outer guard member is held in coplanar relation with the central guard member, but is freely movable thereabout to any desired position.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a reading of the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a bottom view of a representative guard made according to the invention showing the two guard members separated;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the guard of FIG. 1 showing the two guard members attached;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a top view of another guard arranged according to the invention having a diflferent type of link between the two guard members;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of still another form of guard according to the invention having an alternative type of link between the guard members.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, a typical guard arranged according to the invention comprises a square central member 10 and an L-shaped outer guard member 11 which is arranged to be separably attached at any of several positions about the periphery of the central guard member. The central member 10 consists of a top plate 12 and four side walls 13, 14, 15 and 16 extending downwardly therefrom to form a hollow interior for the guard and, as shown in FIG. 3, this structure provides a closed chamber 17 in conjunction with a work surface 18 into which a stud or the like is to be driven by the powder actuated tool.

Adjacent to one corner of the central guard member, a sleeve 19 is affixed to a corresponding opening in the top plate 12 so that it extends perpendicularly from the plate and communicates with the hollow interior of the guard. As illustrated in the dotted lines in FIG. 3, the central guard member 10 is mounted on the muzzle end of a tool barrel 20 in the usual manner, as by inserting the barrel through the sleeve 19 and screwing a cap nut 21 on the barrel muzzle.

In order to permit the outer guard member 11 to be attached at any of several positions to the central member, four latch pins 22, 23, 24, and 25 are perpendicularly allixed to the top plate 12, one at each corner of the plate, but if less than four outer guard mounting positions are to be used, one Or more of these pins may be omitted. In addition, to provide a coupling between the central and outer guard members, a groove 26 is cut into the side walls 13, 14, 15, and 16 about the entire periphery of the central guard member.

The outer guard member 11 consists of an L-shaped top plate 28, four side walls 29, 3t 31, and 3:2, and two end walls 33 and 3 extending downwardly from the plate so as to form a closed chamber 35a in conjunction with the work surface 18, as shown in FIG. 3. Moreover, the side and end walls of the outer guard member have the same height as the side walls of the central guard member so that when the two members are joined together all the walls engage the work surface uniformly as illustrated in FIG. 3. In order to cooperate with the groove 26 to form a coupling, the inner side walls 31 and 32 of the member 11 are formed with a projecting tongue 35 which is dimensioned to be received snugly in the groove along two adjacent walls of the central member Ill and, at the uter end of the side wall 31, this tongue has a perpendicular projection 36 adapted to be received in the groove along a third wall of the member 10.

As best seen in FIG. 2, the outer wall member 11 carries a spring latch 37 which engages one of the latch pins 22, 23, 24, or 25 when the outer member is assembled onto the central guard member. This latch is so oriented that motion of the outer guard member 11 toward the central guard member 10 in the direction parallel to the tongue projection 36 (FIG. 1) actuates the link to engage the adjacent latch pin. Moreover, when the two guard members are coupled, the projection 36 prevents motion of the outer guard member in a transverse direction with respect to the latch so that the two memggrs cannot be uncoupled except by rotation of the latch Preferably, the two guard members are connected by an articulated link of any conventional type in order to avoid loss of the outer guard member and, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 13, the connecting link comprises a chain 38. At one end the chain 38 is secured to a collar 39 which is rotatably supported in an annular groove in the sleeve 19, the other end of the chain being amxed to a rotatable collar 40 mounted on a stud 4-1 on the outer wall member. If desired, the stud 41 may be formed with a cartridge ejector pin 42 for use in removing spent cartridges from the breech plug of the powder actuated tool.

In normal use, the two guard members are joined in the orientation shown in F163. 2 and 3 so that the barrel sleeve 19 is at the center of the guard assembly. To permit the tool to be used close to a wall or other obstruction, the outer member llll is detached from the central member it? by pivoting the latch 37 away from the pin 22 and withdrawing the side 39 of the outer member away from the central member. The central member it) is then turned and moved toward the outer member so that either the pin 25' or the pin 23 is placed at the inner corner of member ll, thereby locating the sleeve 19 adjacent to an outside edge of the guard assembly. For use in corner locations, the central member lit is turned so that the pin 24 is engaged by the latch 37 and the sleeve 19 is located at the outer corner and, for use in confined localities having accessible surface areas about equal to the area of the central guard member, the outer guard member may be left completely detached from the central member. Inasmuch as the central guard member is of square shape with the sleeve 19 in one corner and the outer guard member does not completely surround it as in most conventional adjustable guard structures, it is readily apparent that the tool barrel can be placed considerably closer to a wall or corner than can the barrel of a tool having a conventional guard.

Another form of connecting link between the two guard members is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, wherein the inner member has an L-shaped track 43 extending parallel to two side walls and 16. As best seen in FIG. 5, the track 43 is formed with an undercut 44 and a pin 45 is aflixed to a disc 46 which is held captive in the undercut so that the pin 45 can be moved to any point in the track but can not be withdrawn therefrom. In addition, an arm 47, which is pivotally supported at a point 50 near one end of the L-shaped outer guard member has a longitudinal slot 4-3 through which the pin 45 passes, the pin being provided with an enlarged head 49 to retain the arm. In this manner, the outer guard member 11' is held in the same plane as the central guard member 10 but is free to move toward and away from and about the periphery of the guard member to any of three positions of attachment.

With the guard members assembled in the manner shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the sleeve 19' is located at the center of the assembly. If the outer guard member 11' is detached and withdrawn and the central guard member is turned so that the latch 37 engages the pin the sleeve 19' will be adjacent to one edge of the guard, while if the guard member it) is turned so that the latch 37 engages the pin 24', the sleeve 19' will be located at the corner of the guard assembly, thereby permitting use of the tool at the corner of a floor, for example.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the link between the two guard members 10 and 11" comprises an arm 51 pivotally mounted at a point 52 near one end of the outer member 11 and formed with an elongated opening 53 which is almost as wide as the diameter of the barrel sleeve 19'. In this design, the sleeve 19" is formed with an annular groove 54 to receive the link so that the outer guard member 11" is movable toward or away from and about the periphery of the central guard member 10" and can be attached at any of four positions, while at the same time being held in coplanar relation therewith.

Although the invention has been described herein with reference to specific embodiments, many modifications or variations therein will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, all such variations and modifications are included within the intended scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A guard for a powder actuated tool comprising a central guard member including a plate provided with an off-center opening to receive the barrel of a powder actuated tool and having a plurality of peripheral side wall portions, an outer guard member having a side wall portion shaped to be placed in contiguous relation with any of at least two of the peripheral side wall portions of the central guard member, and attaching means on one of the members for detachably mounting the outer guard member on the central guard member in either or" at least two different positions with the side wall portion of the outer guard member in each position contiguous with a corresponding one of said two peripheral side wall portions of the central guard member, thereby providing at least two different composite guard arrangements with the opening in the plate at a different location with respect to the periphery of the guard in each arrangement.

2. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 1 wherein the plate has a rectangular shape and the oil-center opening is located adjacent to one corner of the plate.

3. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 2 wherein the outer guard member is L-shaped and includes two inner side wall portions adapted to be placed in contiguous relation with two adjacent peripheral side wall portions of the central guard member.

4. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 1 including a groove formed in the side wall portion of one of the members and a mating tongue projecting laterally from the side wall portion of the other memher.

5. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 1 including a mounting sleeve extending perpendicularly from the plate of the central guard member about the opening therein to receive the barrel of a powder actuated tool.

6. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 1 including an articulated link connecting the central guard member and the outer guard member.

7. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 6 wherein the articulated link comprises a chain attached to the two guard members.

8. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 6 wherein the outer guard member includes a plate extending parallel to the plate of the central guard member when the two members are attached and the articulated link comprises an arm pivotally supported at one end on one of the members for motion in a plane parallel to the plate of said one member and having an elongated opening at the other end and the other member includes support means passing through the elongated opening and restricting the arm to relative motion in a plane parallel to the plate of said other member.

9. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 8 wherein the support means comprises a sleeve extending perpendicularly from the plate of the corresponding member having an annular groove receiving the portions of the arm adjacent to the elongated opening.

10. A guard fora powder actuated tool according to claim 8 wherein the support means comprises a track extending parallel to the plane of the corresponding plate, and a pin movable along the track passing through the elongated opening in the arm.

11. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 1 wherein the attaching means comprises a latch mounted on one member and a plurality of latch pins mounted at difierent locations on the other member, each adapted to cooperate with the latch in one of the mounting positions of the outer guard member on the central guard member.

12. A guard for a powder actuated tool comprising a central guard member including a square plate having an opening adjacent to one corner and having four peripheral side wall pontions, a sleeve mounted about the opening and extending perpendicularly from the plate adapted to support the central guard member on the muzzle end of the barrel of a powder actuated tool, a plurality of latch pins extending perpendicularly from the plate, one located adjacent to each of at least three corners thereof, an L-shaped outer guard member having two inner side wall portions extending at right angles and adapted to be placed in contiguous relation with any two adjacent ones of at least three of the side wall portions of the central guard member, and a latch mounted on the outer guard member adapted to engage the latch pin of the central guard member located adjacent to the corner between said two adjacent side wall portions to detachably retain the two members in assembled relation.

13. A guard for a powder actuated tool according to claim 12 wherein the side wall portions of the central guard member are formed with a longitudinal groove and the inner side wall portions of the outer guard member are formed with a longitudinal tongue adapted to be received in the grooves of said two adjacent side wall portions and including a projecting tongue portion at one end of the L-shaped member adapted to be received in the groove of a third side wall portion of the central guard member when the two members are assembled.

No references cited. 

